Method and apparatus for filleting the body of slaughtered poultry

ABSTRACT

In a method and an apparatus for automatic removal of at least an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereof before the connection between the inner fillets and the carcass is broken, a separation is made in the opening bounded by the clavicle and the breastbone, whereupon the inner fillets are at least partly scraped off from the carcass. In another method of filleting, the canalis triosseus is cut open in the shoulder joint, whereupon at least the inner fillets are pulled free from the carcass with the aid of the humerus. Previously, the connection between the membrane of the inner fillets and the breastbone in the region of the coracoideum is broken. For placing a front half of a slaughtered bird on a carrier, a bird is hung by its legs on a suspension element, whereupon the front half and the back half are separated from one another except for a rear connection. The front half is thereupon placed on the carrier and the rear connection is broken.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for removingautomatically at least the inner fillets from slaughtered poultry or apart thereof. The inner fillets, also called tenderloins or tenders, area part of the bird particularly valued by consumers and thereforevaluable, provided that they are of good quality. The inner filletsusually remain behind on the carcass when the outer fillets, alsoreferred to simply as breast fillets, are removed from the carcass.

DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART

In the prior art various methods and apparatuses are known for theremoval of, in particular, the inner fillets from the carcass of a bird.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,942 discloses how, after the outer fillets havefirst been peeled off mechanically, the inner fillets are first cut freein the vicinity of the shoulder joints, whereupon the inner fillets arepulled off the carcass by hand.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,155 it is disclosed how, after the removal of thewings and the outer fillets, the inner fillets are removed from the ribcage by first cutting the inner fillets free mechanically and pushingthem away from the ribs with the aid of a pair of obliquely extendingknives cutting on each side of the breastbone, and then scraping theinner fillets from the carcass with the aid of a pair of scrapers. Thescrapers are provided with rubber inserts whose edges apply the scrapingaction. The inner fillets scraped loose are received in a receptacle.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,570 discloses that, after the removal of the outerfillets, the inner fillets are removed mechanically by first cuttinginto the connections between the clavicle, the carcass and the innerfillets at a point along the clavicle by means of knives. The innerfillets are thereupon further freed from the clavicle by means of twosuccessive sets of peeling fingers, whereupon the inner fillets areploughed entirely free from the carcass, starting from the shoulderjoint of the carcass, in the direction of the belly side of the latter,with the aid of scraping elements.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,918 discloses how the membranes securing the innerfillets to the carcass are mechanically removed from the carcass bycutting through them with the aid of rotating knives after the removalof the outer fillets. The inner fillets are then partly ploughed loosefrom the carcass with the aid of discs, and finally the inner filletsare removed by hand from the carcass.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,374 discloses the removal of inner fillets from apoultry carcass conveyed on a carrier, by first cutting and plowing theinner fillets almost completely free from the carcass, and next grippingthe inner fillets with a pair of jaws pulling the inner fillets freefrom the carcass transversely to the direction of conveyance.

In European Patent Application No. 168,865 the starting point is adifferent method: before the removal of the breast meat, that is to saythe outer fillets and the inner fillets, a part of the clavicle isremoved. Use is made of scraping elements in the removal of the breastmeat.

A difficulty in the methods and apparatuses of the prior art is that themechanical scraping process indicated therein compresses the innerfillets to a greater or lesser extent in the longitudinal direction,whereby the flesh structure of the inner fillets is damaged. This hasthe consequence that the appearance of the inner fillets obtained inthis manner is less attractive to the consumer and that they go off morequickly.

Another difficulty in the prior art is that the membrane of the innerfillets is damaged or is left on the carcass, so that in the place wherethe membrane adheres to the inner fillets in the natural state a frayedmeat surface structure is formed, which impairs the quality of the meatin the same way as is described above.

With the usual methods, a small part of the meat of the inner filletsnear the clavicle remains on the carcass after the removal of the innerfillets, because the latter must be cut free from the breastbone withdue regard to a safe distance from the clavicle. If this distance is tooshort there is in fact a great risk that the clavicle will come intocontact with a cutting or scraping element and that splinters of bone orparticles of the clavicle will remain in the inner fillets. This cannotbe tolerated from the point of view of product quality and liability forthe product. The consequence of all this is that after the removal ofthe inner fillets not inconsiderable amounts of meat remain on thecarcass.

As an additional difficult it should also be stated that in the methodsof the prior art the inner fillets are frequently detached from thecarcass in such a manner that considerable damage is done to thestructure of the meat surface in the area where the separation is made.

The object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus bymeans of which inner fillets can be removed mechanically andautomatically from the carcass of a bird, while the greatest possibleamount of meat is obtained and damage to the meat is prevented as muchas possible.

This object is attained according to the invention by a method whereinprior to scraping off the inner filet the membranasternocoracoclavicularis is released by making a separation in theopening defined by the natural position of the clavicle and thebreastbone. The making of a separation in this position has theconsequence that absolutely no residues of meat remain behind on thecarcass after the removal of the inner fillets.

Before the inner fillet is scraped away from the body of the poultry theconnection between the membrane of the inner fillet and the breastbonein the region of the coracoideum is preferably broken. With freshlyslaughtered products this process can be carried out either before orafter the breaking of the connection between the inner fillet and theclavicle in the manner described above. If the product is matured andtherefore more vulnerable, it is preferred to carry out this processafter the breaking of the connection between the inner fillet and theclavicle.

In order to leave the membrane of the inner fillet as far as possibleintact, the inner fillet is only partly scraped away from the body ofthe poultry, after which the part already scraped away is gripped andthe inner fillet is pulled free from the body of the poultrysubstantially in front of the breast thereof. By leaving the membraneintact, the surface structure of the meat under it is kept intact, sothat the inner fillet has an attractive appearance and will keep for along time.

According to the invention an apparatus for the automatic removal of atleast an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereofcomprises a carrier for fixing thereon the poultry or a part thereof, atleast comprising the breast with the inner fillets attached, separatingelements for the inner fillets, which elements are adapted to beinserted, on opposite sides of the breastbone, into the openings definedby the natural position of the clavicle and the breastbone for thepurpose of releasing the membrana sternocoracoclavicularis, and scrapingmeans for scraping off the inner fillets from the body of the poultry.The carrier usually forms part of a conveyor. It may for example havethe configuration described in European Patent Application No. 551,156.In such a case the scraping means and the separating elements may bearranged--if necessary movably--along the path of the conveyor. It isnaturally also possible to install the carrier in a fixed position andto make the scraping means and separating elements movable.

In a preferred embodiment the apparatus according to the inventioncomprises membrane separation means for breaking the connection betweenthe membrane of the inner fillets and the breastbone in the region ofthe coracoideum. The membrane thus continues to cover the outer surfaceof the inner fillets even after they have been removed from the body ofthe poultry, which is advantageous for their appearance and for thekeeping properties of the inner fillets.

In another preferred embodiment the apparatus according to the inventioncomprises inner fillet removal means for gripping the inner fillet andpulling it free from the body of the poultry substantially in front ofthe breast thereof.

The separating elements for a set of inner fillets expediently consistof two substantially parallel plates facing one another and having afree end, the plates being mounted resiliently in relation to oneanother and in relation to a holder, said holder being movable in acontrolled manner relative to the carrier. The ends of the plates havedimensions such that they can without difficulty pass through theopenings bounded by the clavicle (if present) and the breastbone, inorder to be able to follow the contour of the breastbone as closely aspossible, the distance between the plates is shorter than the maximumwidth of the breastbone. In addition, the resilient connections betweenthe holder and the plates ensure that the plates can easily andaccurately follow the contours of the breastbone. The edges of the freeends of the plates are blunt, optionally with the exception of the frontside, which may be sharp, thus preventing splinters of bone from beingcut off from the breastbone or the clavicle and passing into the innerfillets.

In an advantageous embodiment the membrane separation means for a set ofinner fillets comprise two rotatable discs extending generally in oneand the same plane. By moving the discs along the rib cage of the bird,on the underside of the inner fillets, the inner fillets are propelledupwards and the connection between the membrane of the inner fillets andthe breastbone in the region of the coracoideum can thus be broken. Agood propelling action of the discs is obtained by providing theircircumferential edge with a frustonical shape. The circumferential edgeof the discs is preferably provided with at least one radiallyprojecting knife for an additional controlled separation of the innerfillet membrane from the breastbone.

In a preferred embodiment the scraping means for a set of inner filletsconsist of two scraper plates mounted resiliently at an angle to oneanother and to a holder, the holder being movable in a controllablemanner relative to the carrier, while the scraper plates are adapted tobe placed on opposite sides of the clavicle and then on the latter andto be moved along the breastbone away from the clavicle. The distancebetween the scraper plates is preferably shorter than the maximum widthof the breastbone. By means of the abovedescribed measures a scrapingaction is obtained which extends over the entire surface over which theinner fillet cover the rib cage.

In an expedient and simple embodiment the carriers form part of aconveyor along whose path the separating elements, the membraneseparation means and the scraping means are installed.

Another method according to the invention for automatic removal of atleast an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereof, thepoultry or part thereof comprising at least a part of the humerusappertaining to said inner fillet, comprises the steps of making anincision in a shoulder joint of the poultry, covering the processusacrocoracoideus in order to open the canalis triosseus, the connectionbetween the inner fillet and the appertaining humerus remaininggenerally intact; and separating the inner fillet from the poultry byacting on the humerus. By thus opening the canalis triosseus the tendonconnection, enclosed therein, between the humerus and the appertaininginner fillet can leave the canalis triosseus when the humerus, or thewing of which the humerus forms part, is used to pull off the innerfillet from the body of the bird. Because the processus acrocoracoideusis cut through, it is possible for the first time for an outer fillet tobe torn away from the body, simultaneously with the inner fillet lyingunder it, by means of its tendon connections to the humerus, with theaid of the humerus or the wing. It may here be observed that, in orderto obtain the largest possible amount of meat, an incision can also bemade in the shoulder, along the shoulder blade, before the fillets arepulled free from the body. However, this shoulder cut is alreadygenerally known for the purpose of pulling only the outer fillets offthe bird with the aid of the humerus or of the wing.

Cutting through the processus acrocoracoideus in the shoulder joint isgreatly facilitated and its reliability is greatly increased if, beforethe incision in the shoulder joint is made, a force is exerted on thehumerus to position the tendon connecting the humerus to the innerfillet in the canalis triosseus on the side of the latter which isdirected towards the breastbone. By the last-mentioned measure the caputhumeri of the humerus is brought away from the shoulder joint, so that acutting element can in a simple manner cut through the processusacrocoracoideus as is desired. The risk that the tendon connectionbetween the humerus and the inner fillets will be touched by the cuttingelement is greatly reduced by this measure.

A very reliable way of moving the humerus in the desired direction isachieved if the caput humeri is pressed in the direction of the ribs inrelation to the scapula and the coracoideum.

Preferably, before an incision is made in the shoulder joint, theshoulder joint is accurately positioned, relative to a cutting element,against a stop which acts on the shoulder joint on the side facing awayfrom the humerus.

In order to prevent damage to the inner fillets while they are beingscraped free in the vicinity of the lamella of the clavicle and thebreastbone point, the clavicle is removed before the filleting. In theprior art various apparatuses are known for this purpose. When theclavicle has been removed, it cannot be accidentally touched in thecutting-through of the processus acrocoracoideus.

According to the invention an apparatus for automatic removal of atleast an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereofcomprises a carrier for fixing thereon the poultry or a part thereof, atleast comprising the breast with at least a part of the wings and withthe inner fillets attached; and shoulder joint positioning means forpositioning a shoulder joint in relation to a cutting element forcutting through the processus acrocoracoideus of the shoulder joint.

In a preferred embodiment the carrier forms part of a conveyor, and thecarrier is composed of an elongated conical support element which isarranged to move the poultry or part thereof with the breast or the rearside thereof in the conveying direction of the conveyor, the cuttingelement preferably being installed along the path of the carrier, andthe shoulder joint positioning means comprising a guide which extendssubstantially parallel to the path of the carrier and is adapted to makecontact with the shoulder joint on the side facing away from thehumerus, while the cutting means are arranged for cutting from thehumerus side.

In another preferred embodiment the apparatus has humerus positioningmeans for displacing the humerus in the direction of the ribs of thepoultry in relation to the remainder of the shoulder joint, whichhumerus positioning means may comprise a guide which extendssubstantially parallel to the path of the carrier and is adapted to makecontact with the caput humeri and to displace the latter in the downwarddirection. In this embodiment the cutting element can in a simple manneract substantially transversely to the path of the carrier and in thehorizontal direction.

To prepare for a filleting process, according to the invention the skinof slaughtered poultry or a part thereof, at least comprising the breastwith at least a part of the wings, is accurately and reliably removed bycutting through the skin at least almost completely between the upperside of the shoulder joint and the wing axilla, next the skin is removedfrom the lateral side of the poultry body, and next the skin is removedfrom the breast of the poultry. An apparatus for this purpose accordingto the invention comprises a carrier for fixing thereon the poultry orpart thereof, at least comprising the breast with at least a part of thewings, said carrier forming part of a conveyor and being able to bebrought into a first position in which the breast side of the bird isdirected transversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor, andbeing able to be brought into a second position in which the breast sideor the rear side of the bird is directed in the conveying direction,while in succession the carrier in its first position passes cuttingmeans installed along the path of the carrier for the purpose of makingan incision in the skin between the upper side of the shoulder joint andthe wing axilla; in its second position passes a set of rotatablehelically ribbed skin removal rollers installed parallel to the path ofthe carrier for the removal under the wing of the skin of the lateralside of the body of the poultry, and in its first position passes a setof rotatable helically ribbed skin removal rollers installed parallel tothe path of the carrier for the removal near the breastbone of the skinof the breast of the poultry.

To prepare for a filleting process, the front half of a slaughtered birdis in accordance with the invention placed on a carrier by successivelyhanging a slaughtered, eviscerated bird by its legs on a suspensionelement, separating a front half, comprising the breast, from a backhalf, comprising the hips and the legs, except for a connection on therear side of the bird between the front half and the back half,whereupon the front half is mounted on the carrier and said connectionis broken. By retaining at first a connection between the front half andthe back half on the rear side of the bird, the front half comes to hangwith the breast side directed downwards under the back half. In theopening at the belly side which is produced in the front half by theseparation of the back half from the front half, a generally cone-shapedcarrier can easily be fitted automatically, and is able to carry italong after the remaining connection between the back half and the fronthalf has been broken.

For preference the front half is conveyed along a first path and thecarrier is conveyed along a second path, the front half and the carriermoving next to one another at substantially the same speed, with thebreast side of the front half facing the carrier, and the first path andthe second path converging at least until the front half is mounted onthe carrier. Another advantageous way of fitting a carrier in the fronthalf is by conveying the front half along a first path with the breastin the conveying direction, and conveying the carrier along a secondpath, the front half and the carrier moving towards one another alongthe first and second paths respectively, at least until the front halfis situated on the carrier. There is thus great freedom in the conveyingof slaughtered birds, with the front half cut free from the back halfwith the exception of the rear connection, and in the conveying of theseparated front halves on carriers. The first and second paths shouldcome together only in the region in which the front half is brought ontothe carrier.

According to the invention the apparatus for mounting a front half of aslaughtered bird on a carrier is designed such that the carrier formspart of a first conveyor and is composed of an elongated conical supportelement which is arranged so that its end is directed at an angle to thevertical towards the separation surface of the front half. Thesuspension element preferably forms part of a second conveyor.

In a first preferred embodiment, the conveying directions of the firstand the second conveyor are generally the same, the paths or the firstand the second conveyor converging towards another.

In another preferred embodiment, the paths of the first and the secondconveyor are generally parallel, and the first conveyor is arranged foroperation at a lower speed in its conveying direction than that of thesecond conveyor in the same direction. In a further preferredembodiment, the paths of the first and the second conveyor are generallyparallel, and the conveying directions of the first and the secondconveyor are opposite. Here, the conical support element or any othersuitable carrier picks up the front half because of the difference inspeed between the first and second conveyor. This difference in speedensures that the front half is pulled fast on the carrier, whereupon thefront half is further fixed if desired and the back connection is brokenby the forces exerted on its, or is broken in a controlled manner withthe aid of a cutting element. The first or the second conveyor can bestationary when a front half is brought onto the carrier, while theother conveyor is in motion.

The claims and advantages will be more readily appreciated as the samebecomes between understood by reference to the following detaileddescription and considered in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which like reference symbols designate like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a shoulder joint of a bird, in which only onetendon is shown schematically;

FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically show in front and side views respectively,along a conveyor provided with carriers, a station for making a shoulderincision, a front half on a carrier being shown only in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a filletingstation according to the invention;

FIG. 4a schematically shows a cross-section of the apparatus shown inFIG. 4, taken on the line IVa--IVa.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of astation of the apparatus according to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6a shows in perspective a schematic view of a component of theapparatus shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6b is a schematic front view of a part of the carcass of a birdhaving inner fillets, to illustrate a first process;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view in perspective of the carcass part shown inFIG. 6b, to illustrate a second process;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view in perspective of the carcass part shownin FIG. 6b, to illustrate a third process carried out thereon;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a conveyor having a suspension hook on whicha slaughtered, drawn bird is hung;

FIG. 10 illustrates a separation process to be carried out to separatethe back half from the front half;

FIGS. 11a and 11b illustrate successive stages a first way of bringing afront half onto a carrier;

FIG. 12 illustrates a second way of bringing a front half on a carrier;and

FIGS. 13a, 13b and 13c illustrate successive stages of removing the skinfrom a front half mounted on a carrier.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates the bone connections in the shoulder joint and showsa part of the clavicle (wishbone) 80, the coracoideum (collar bone) 82with the processus acrocoracoideus 84 at one end, the scapula (shoulderblade) 86 and the humerus (wing bone) 88 with the caput humori 90. Thetendon connection between an inner fillet and the humerus 88 isrepresented by a broken line 91 and passes through the canalis triosseus92. The canalis triosseus 92 is opened by cutting away the processusacrocoracoideus 84 from the coracoideum 82 along the dot-dash line 94,whereby the tendon connection 91 can come away from the canalistriosseus 92 and the inner fillet can be pulled free from the carcass byacting on the humerus 88.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show shoulder joint guides 98, humerus guides 100 andcutting elements 102. The shoulder joint guides 98, the humerus guides100 and the cutting elements 102 are installed in a frame (not furthershown) on both sides of the path of a conveyor by means of whichcarriers 104 can be moved along in the direction of the arrow 106. Thecutting elements 102 are shown as rotating knives driven by a motor 108,but may also consist of fixedly mounted knives.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, on passing through the station the shoulderjoints of a front half 110 placed on the carrier 104 are positioned bythe shoulder guides 98, which bear against that side of the processusacrocoracoideus 84 which faces away from the humerus 88. The humerusguides 100 ensure that the humerus is pressed downwards, after which thecutting elements 102 make the cut 94 (FIG. 1). In a following processingstation the inner fillets, optionally together with the outer fillets,can then be torn free from the carcass by means of (at least a part of)the humerus 88 or the wing. Before or directly after passing through thestation shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the clavicle 80 is optionally removedfrom the carcass in order to facilitate the tearing-off of the filletsfrom the carcass and thus to maximize the meat yield.

Another way to effect the filleting is discussed below with reference toFIGS. 4, 4a, 5, 6a, 6b, 7 and 8.

FIGS. 4 and 4a show two mirror-image conveyor rails 2a and 2b, betweenwhich are enclosed sliding elements 4 which can move in the longitudinaldirection of the conveyor rails 2a, 2b, in the direction indicated bythe arrow 5. The sliding elements 4 are mutually coupled by means of achain 3 or the like, indicated by a dot-dash line. A mounting support 6is fastened rotatably and tiltably on each of the sliding elements 4.Each mounting support 6, which is described in greater detail inEuropean Patent Application 551,156, has a substantially frustoconicalend on which a front half 8 of a bird can be placed and fastened. Forthe sake of clarity only the rib cage 8a, the breastbone 8b, theclavicle 8c and the coracoideum 8d of each front half 8 are shownschematically in FIG. 4; the inner fillets, which are situated in thetransition region between the rib cage 8a and the breastbone 8b are notshown in the figure in order to make it possible to show as clearly aspossible the different components or the apparatus and the place wherethey act on the carcass.

Three processing stations 10, 20 and 30 respectively are installed alongthe path of the mounting supports 6. For the sake of clarity of thedrawing the processing stations 10, 20 and 30 are as far as possibleshown without support elements which effect the fixing of the processingstation in relation to a frame in which the conveyor rails 2a and 2b arealso held.

The processing station 10 is situated centrally above the conveyor rails2a and 2b and comprises two guide strips 12, of which only one isvisible in FIG. 4 and which between them leave open a slit of a widthsuch that the upwardly projecting breast point of a front half 8 locatedon a mounting support 6 is guided therebetween. In the slit between theguide strips 12 is likewise situated an end of a pivotally mounted lever14 which operates a switch 16 when the breast point of a front half 8pushes the lever 14 out of the position shown in FIG. 4. The switch 16thus gives a signal for the operation of the processing station 10, towhich detailed reference will be made again further on. Above each guidestrip 12 is situated a plate 19 provided with guide slots 18a and 18b.Between the plates 19 is enclosed a holder 21, which is shown in greaterdetail in FIG. 6a. The holder 21 is provided with pins 22a and 22b,which are guided in the slots 18a and 18b respectively. Outside theregion of the plates 19, separating elements 24 are fastened resilientlyon the holder 21. The separating elements 24 are each provided with twoholes, which correspond with holes provided in the holder 21. Throughthe holes are pushed pins which are provided at each end of a plug 26 inorder to enclose springs 28 between the plugs 26 and the separatingelements 24, so that the latter can yield laterally. The edges of theseparating elements 24 are usually made entirely blunt, but their frontends 24a may be provided with a cutting edge. The holder 21 is providedwith a lip 32 or the like, to which an angle member 34 can be fastened.The end of the angle member 34 remote from the holder 21 is pivotallyconnected to the end of a piston rod 36 of a double-acting pneumaticcylinder and piston unit 38. At the end remote from the angle member 34the cylinder and piston unit 38 is connected to the frame of theapparatus for pivoting about an axis 40.

The processing station 20 comprises two discs 42, which are installedone on each side of the path of the mounting supports 6, only one beingvisible in FIG. 4, and which are located at a distance from each othersuch that the breastbone 8b of a front half 8 mounted on a mountingsupport 6 can pass therebetween in the direction of the arrow 5. Thediscs 42 are mounted on axes 44, each of which during operation isdriven in such a manner that the circumferential region of the discs 42moves, near a front half 8 passing between them, in the direction of thearrow 5. The side of the discs 42 is frustonical and stands at an angleof about 10° to the longitudinal direction of the axes 44. At one placeon the circumference a radially projecting cutting element 46 isarranged on the bottom edge of each disc. The rotation of the discs 42is synchronized with the movement of the mounting support 6 in thedirection of the arrow 5.

The processing station 30 has guide strips 48 similarly to theprocessing station 10. Above the guide strips are installed guide walls52 which are provided with guide slots 50a and 50b and between which,similarly to the processing station 10, a plate-shaped holder 56provided with pins 54a and 54b is mounted so as to be slidable. Twoscraping elements 58, of which the scraping front side is illustrated ingreater detail in FIG. 8, are resiliently fastened to the holder 56. Asshown in FIG. 8, the scrapers 58, which can be made of metal or plasticsmaterial, are installed at a short distance from each other and areprovided on the front side with ends 58a bent sideways. The holder 52 ispivotally connected by means of an angle member 60 to the end of apiston rod 62 of a double-acting pneumatic cylinder and piston unit 64.At the end remote from the angle member 60 the cylinder and piston unit64 is pivotally connected to the frame of the apparatus.

The action of the apparatus will be explained with the aid of FIGS. 4,6a, 6b, 7 and 8. In the first place, as shown in FIG. 4, a front half 8fixed on a mounting support 6 is passed through the first processingstation 10. Through the operation of the lever 14 by the breastbone 8b,the switch 16 signals the presence of a front half 8 on the mountingsupport 6, and delivers a signal to the control system of the apparatusso that, taking into account the speed of movement of the mountingsupport 6 in the direction of the arrow 5, after a predetermined delaytime, the cylinder and piston unit 38 is energized. This energizationtakes place when the upwardly projecting point of the breastbone 8b ofthe front half 8 has passed the front side 24a of the separatingelements 24. The holder 21 of the separating elements 24 is moved in thedirection of the arrow 5 and slightly tilted downwards by means of theguide slots 18a when the piston rod 36 is pushed out of the cylinder andpiston unit 38, the end position reached being shown in dashed lines inFIG. 4. The resulting movement of the separating elements 24 takes placevery much more quickly than the movement of the mounting supports 6. Thefront sides 24a of the separating elements 24 thus move downwards alongthe breastbone and forwards into the openings bounded by the breastbone8b and the clavicle 8c, releasing the membrana sternocoracoclavicularis.This is elucidated in FIG. 6b, in which arrows 68 illustrate thedirection of the movement of the front sides 24a of the separatingelements 24. Inner fillets 70 are thus cut free from the breastboneunder the clavicle 8c. The separating elements 24 are then pulled backinto the starting position shown in FIG. 4. It is to be remarked herethat the clavicle may have been removed earlier from the front half, inwhich case the term clavicle in the above is merely used to define thenatural position of the clavicle.

The front half, with the inner fillets 70 freed from the breastbone 8bunder the clavicle 8c, then passes through the second processing station20. The frustonical side of the rotating discs 42 engages the sides ofthe inner fillets 70 and pushes them upwards, as illustrated by thearrows 72 in FIG. 7. In this action the cutting element 46 ensures thatthe membrane of the inner fillets 70 on the underside of the latter iscut free from the breastbone over some distance.

The preprocessed front half then passes through the third processingstation 30, in which the guide strips 48 bring downwards again the innerfillets 70 pushed upward in the second processing station 20. After theupwardly projecting point of the breastbone 8b of a front half 8 haspassed the ends 58a of the scraping elements 58 in the third processingstation 30, the cylinder and piston unit 64 is energized. The movingpiston rod 62 drives the holder 56 and the scraping elements 58connected thereto in a movement, determined by the guide slots 50a and50b, in the direction of the arrow 5, while the holder and the scrapingelements 58 tilt slightly downwards. The end position reached is shownin dashed lines in FIG. 4. The movement of the scraping elements 58takes place very much more quickly than the movement of the mountingsupports 6. In the operative position the ends 58a of the scrapingelements 58 come to lie one on each side of the clavicle 8c, asillustrated in FIG. 8, so that a movement of the front half 8 on themounting support 6 in the direction of the arrow 5 results in a scrapingforce, exerted substantially in the direction of the arrow 74, on theinner fillets 70 on each side of the breastbone 8b.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a first processingstation, in which a separation is made between the breastbone 8b and theinner fillets under the clavicle 8c. In a similar manner to thatdescribed with reference to FIG. 6a, separating means 24 are resilientlymounted on a lever 76 which is pivotable about a fulcrum 78. The end ofthe lever 76 remote from the separating elements 24 is pivotallyconnected to the end of the piston rod 36 of the cylinder and pistonunit 38. When the piston rod 36 moves to the left in the drawing on theenergization of the cylinder and piston unit 38, the lever 76 pivots inthe counterclockwise direction and the front ends 24a of the separatingelements 24 move along the breastbone 8b and under the clavicle 8c.

FIG. 9 shows a part of a rail 120 of substantially inverted T-shapedcross-section, along which suspension elements 122 are moved in thedirection of the arrow 124. Further details of the suspension element122 are not discussed here, since the are not relevant to theunderstanding of the present invention. The suspension element 122carries a slaughtered, eviscerated bird 126, the breast side of which isturned in the conveying direction 124.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, in the separation of the carcass into a fronthalf and a back half the bird 126 passes two substantially circularknives 130 which are rotatably mounted on axes 128 and which arearranged substantially in one plane at a predetermined distance from oneanother. The carcass is thus not completely cut through; connectionsremain intact under the breastbone and on the rear side between thefront half 132 and the back half 134.

As shown in FIG. 11a, any skin connection under the breastbone gives wayimmediately because of the weight of the front half 132, whereas on therear side of the carcass a connection 136 remains intact and is strongenough to carry the front half 132. A carrier 138, a conical end ofwhich is directed towards the front half 132, is now brought into thepath of the front half 132, and the carrier and the front half are movedtowards one another, either by moving carrier 138 in the same direction124 as the suspension element 122, but slower, or by moving carrier 138in the opposite direction to direction 124. As illustrated in FIG. 11b,the front half 132 is so to speak "caught" on the carrier 138 and pulledfast on its. In this way the front half 132 comes completelyautomatically onto the carrier 138 and, after the connection 136 hasbeen broken, said carrier can convey the front half 132 independently ofthe rear half to the previously described processing stations for thefilleting of the front half 132.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, it is also possible to move the front half132 and the carrier 138 side by side generally in the same direction atright angles to the plane of the drawing, bringing the front half 132 onthe carrier 138 at a converging part of their paths, indicated by arrows140.

FIG. 13a shows a front half 8 comprising wings 8w and skin and beingmounted on the carrier 6 rotatably and tiltably mounted on the slidingelement 4 moving in the direction of arrow 142. In the path of thecarrier 6 with the front half 8 rotating knifes 144 are arranged suchthat an incision 146 indicated with a dashed line is made in the skinbetween the upper side of each shoulder joint and each wing axilla.Following this, as illustrated in FIG. 13b, the carrier 6 is tilted intoan upright position and brought in contact with rotating pairs ofhelically ribbed skin removal rollers 148, 150 (of which only one pairis visible in the drawing) for removing skin under the wings of thefront half. To complete the fillet skin removal, as illustrated in FIG.13c, the carrier 6 is tilted back into the position of FIG. 13a andbrought in contact with a rotating pair of helically ribbed rollers 152(of which only one is visible in the drawing) for removing the skin onthe breast side of the front half.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its preferredembodiments, it should be understood that departures may be madetherefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not limited to thedetails disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for automatic removal of at least aninner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereof, comprising thesteps of:a. making a separation in the opening by the natural positionof the clavicle and the breastbone of the poultry to release themembrana sternocoracoclavicularis; and b. scraping off the inner fillet.2. A method according to claim 1, wherein, before the inner fillet isscraped off, the connection between the inner fillet membrane and thebreastbone in the region of the coracoideum is broken.
 3. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the inner fillet is only partly scrapedoff, whereupon the part already scraped off is gripped and the innerfillet is pulled free from the poultry substantially in front of thebreast thereof.
 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the clavicleis removed before the filleting.
 5. A method for automatic removal of atleast an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereof, thepoultry or part thereof comprising at least a part of the humerusappertaining to said inner fillet, the method comprising the steps of:a.making an incision in the shoulder joint of the poultry, severing theprocessus acrocoracoideus in order to open the canalis triosseus, theconnection between the inner fillet and the appertaining humerusremaining generally intact; and b. separating the inner fillet from thepoultry by exerting a force on the humerus.
 6. A method according toclaim 5, wherein, before the incision is made in the shoulder joint aforce is exerted on the humerus to position the tendon connecting thehumerus to the inner fillet in the canalis triosseus on the side of thelatter which is directed towards the breastbone.
 7. A method accordingto claim 6, wherein the caput humeri is pressed in the direction of theribs in relation to the scapula and the coracoideum.
 8. A methodaccording to claim 5, wherein, before the incision is made in theshoulder joint, the shoulder joint is positioned, relative to a cuttingelement, against a stop which acts on the shoulder joint on the sidefacing away from the humerus.
 9. A method according to claim 5, whereinthe clavicle is removed before the filleting.
 10. An apparatus forautomatic removal of at least an inner fillet from slaughtered poultryor a part thereof, comprising:a carrier for fixing thereon the poultryor a part thereof, at least comprising the breast with the inner filletsattached; separating elements for the inner fillets, which elements areadapted to be inserted, on opposite sides of the breastbone, into theopenings defined by the natural position of the clavicle and thebreastbone for the purpose of releasing the membranasternocoracoclavicularis; and scraping means for scraping off the innerfillets from the poultry.
 11. An apparatus according to claim 10,comprising membrane separation means for breaking the connection betweenthe membrane of the inner fillets and the breastbone in the region ofthe coracoideum.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 10, comprisinginner fillet removal means for gripping the inner fillet and pulling itfree from the poultry substantially in front of the breast thereof. 13.An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the separating elements forthe inner fillets consist of two substantially parallel plates facingone another and having a free end, the plates being mounted resilientlyin relation to one another and in relation to a holder, said holderbeing controllably movable relative to the carrier.
 14. An apparatusaccording to claim 13, wherein the free ends of the plates are providedwith blunt edges.
 15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein thedistance between the plates is shorter than the maximum width of thebreastbone.
 16. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the scrapingmeans for the inner fillets consist of two scraper plates mountedresiliently at an angle to one another and to a holder, the holder beingmovable in a controllable manner relative to the carrier, while thescraper plates are adapted to be placed on opposite sides of theclavicle and then on the latter and to be moved along the breastboneaway from the clavicle.
 17. An apparatus according to claim 16, whereinthe distance between the scraper plates is shorter than the maximumwidth of the breastbone.
 18. An apparatus for automatic removal of atleast an inner fillet from slaughtered poultry or a part thereof,comprising:a. a carrier for fixing thereon the poultry or a partthereof, at least comprising the breast with the inner fillets attached;b. separating elements for the inner fillets, which elements are adaptedto be inserted, on opposite sides of breastbone, into the openingsdefined by the natural position of the clavicle and the breastbone forthe purpose of releasing the membrana sternocoracoclavicularis; c.membrane separation means for breaking the connection between themembrane of the inner fillets and the breastbone in the region of thecoracoideum, the membrane separation means for the inner filletscomprises two rotatable discs extending generally in one and the sameplane; and d. scraping means for scraping off the inner fillets from thepoultry.
 19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein thecircumferential edge of the discs is frustoconical.
 20. An apparatusaccording to claim 18, wherein the circumferential edge of the discs isprovided with at least one radially projecting knife.
 21. An apparatusfor automatic removal of at least an inner fillet from slaughteredpoultry or a part thereof, comprising:a. separating elements for theinner fillets, which elements are adapted to be inserted, on oppositesides of breastbone, into the openings defined by the natural positionof the clavicle and the breastbone for the purpose of releasing themembrana sternocoracoclavicularis; b. membrane separation means forbreaking the connection between the membrane of the inner fillets andthe breastbone in the region of the coracoideum; c. scraping means forscraping off the inner fillets from the poultry; and d. a carrier forfixing thereon the poultry or a part thereof, at least comprising thebreast with the inner fillets attached, wherein the carrier forms partof a conveyor along whose path the separating elements, the membraneseparation means and the scraping means are installed.
 22. An apparatusfor automatic removal of at least an inner fillet from slaughteredpoultry or a part thereof, comprising:a carrier for fixing thereon thepoultry or a part thereof, at least comprising the breast with at leasta part of the wings and with the inner fillets attached; and shoulderjoint positioning means for positioning a shoulder joint in relation toa cutting element for cutting through the processus acrocoracoideus ofthe shoulder joint.
 23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein thecarrier forms part of a conveyor and is composed of an elongated conicalsupport element which is adapted to move the poultry or part thereofwith the breast or the rear side thereof in the conveying direction ofthe conveyor, the cutting element is installed along the path of thecarrier, and the shoulder joint positioning means comprise a guide whichextends substantially parallel to the path of the carrier and is adaptedto make contact with the shoulder joint on the side facing away from thehumerus, while the cutting means are adapted for cutting from thehumerus side.
 24. An apparatus according to claim 23, comprising humeruspositioning means for displacing the humerus in the direction of theribs of the poultry in relation to the remainder of the shoulder joint.25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the humerus positioningmeans comprise a guide which extends substantially parallel to the pathof the carrier and is adapted to make contact with the caput humeri andto displace the latter in the downward direction.
 26. An apparatusaccording to claim 25, wherein the cutting element acts substantiallytransversely to the path of the carrier and in the horizontal direction.